


Flowers For a Lady

by fredbassett



Category: Primeval
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21514966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fredbassett/pseuds/fredbassett
Summary: It’s the wrong time of the month and all Abby wants is to be left alone.
Relationships: Abby Maitland/Connor Temple, Helen Cutter/Abby Maitland
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Flowers For a Lady

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cordeliadelayne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/gifts).



“Can I get you a hot water bottle?” Connor hovered solicitously in the doorway of the bedroom, an anxious look on his face.

Abby shook her head. She’d tried that a few hours ago and it had made no difference. The alien life form that was still trying to claw its way out of her stomach had continued its activities entirely unabated.

“More painkillers?”

“Dosed up for the next three hours,” she said grimacing. It was actually a lie, but it was easier than having a debate on the subject. Abby hated taking tablets and even a day spent hunched over a desk with the worst period pains she’d had for years wouldn’t make her succumb to the lure of pharmaceutical intervention.

“A warm drink? Honey and milk or something…”

“I’m fine, Conn, honestly. You go out with Duncan, I don’t want to spoil your evening.”

“I can’t leave you on your own when you’re feeling like this.”

Abby closed her eyes and groped for words that wouldn’t sound ungrateful. What she actually wanted was just to be left in peace to curl up around her favourite pillow and watch something mind-blowingly trivial on television that had absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars, Dr Who or dinosaurs.

“I’ll be fine,” she repeated, trying not to grit her teeth. He meant well, but Connor’s attempts to be helpful were actually just making matters worse and his expression of wide-eyed concern wasn’t improving her bad temper, either. “Go on, shoo! I’ve got Rex for company… And I’ll be glad of an early night, honestly.”

He hesitated and for an awful moment she thought he was going to tell her that he’d already phoned Duncan to cancel. And if he offered to put the director’s cut of Blade Runner on the DVD player she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.

“Well, if you’re sure…”

“I’m sure,” Abby said firmly, clutching at the offered straw.

Five minutes later, after plumping up her pillows, bringing her a drink of warm milk that she didn’t want but agreed to anyway and telling her that he wouldn’t be late, Connor finally left. By then, Abby’s nerves were in tatters and if she’d had the energy, she would have seriously considered screaming, even the idea of watching television was now too much for her. After an hour of lying on the bed feeling sorry for herself, she was finally forced to get up by a pressing need to visit the bathroom.

As she washed her hands, Abby heard the click of the front door as it closed, signalling an end to her hopes of a peaceful evening. It looked like Connor had decided to come home early to mop her fevered brow or something. Steeling herself for company she didn’t want, Abby plastered a smile on her face and made her way back into the living room.

She was greeted by a welcoming chirrup from Rex.

“Connor?”

Another chirrup was all the reply she got. The door to Connor’s bedroom was open and the room was clearly empty, as was the rest of the flat. Abby checked the kitchen but he wasn’t there, either. Puzzled, she put the noise down to someone in the flat below hers and headed back to her bedroom. As soon as she stepped into the room, Abby knew someone had been there.

A long-stemmed yellow and purple orchid had been placed on top of her pillows next to a packet of extra strong mints and a glass of dark liquid that hadn’t been there before was on her bedside cabinet. A piece of paper was lying next to it, torn from the pad she kept in the kitchen to write notes on.

The handwriting was bold and easily legible.

_It tastes like men’s socks steeped in cats’ piss and flavoured with fox shit but it’ll stop the cramps._

The note was unsigned.

Abby picked up the glass and sniffed cautiously. If the smell was anything to go by, the author of the note wasn’t exaggerating about the taste. A particularly vicious cramp took her unawares and Abby swayed slightly, one arm pressed to her stomach. Screwing her face up in disgust, she quickly gulped the liquid down, desperately hoping her gag reflex wasn’t going to kick in. As soon as she’d drained the glass, she reached for the packet of mints and popped two into her mouth at once.

Half an hour later, she was curled up in bed, comfortable for the first time in a very long day, reading a magazine. She was still pain-free two hours later when Connor clattered back in, doing his best to be quiet and failing in spectacular fashion. She debated pretending to be asleep, but when he poked his head around the half-open door, clutching a bunch of flowers he’d obviously picked up at an all night garage, she found herself returning his smile.

“How are you feeling?” He held the flowers out to her. “Sorry, they were all I could get.”

“I’m fine now, the cramps have gone. The flowers are lovely, Connor, thank you. Would you put them in some water for me?”

“Shall I leave them in the kitchen? My gran used to have a thing about not having flowers in the bedroom at night.”

She shook her head. “No, I’d like them in here, please.”

He was back a few minutes later, the flowers arranged surprisingly neatly in a vase that Abby had forgotten she owned. “I got you some chocolate, too.” A slightly squashed bar of chocolate was extracted from a pocket and handed over. “Can I get you anything else?”

Abby shook her head, smiling. “I think I’ll just get some sleep now, Conn. It’s been a long day.”

She heard him clatter around in the kitchen for a while, managing to knock over every bottle in the recycling box, by the sound of things. When she finally heard his bedroom door close, Abby drew the orchid out from underneath the quilt and tucked it into the middle of the flowers where it nestled amongst the other blossoms like an exotic bird in a hen coop.

Abby drew the quilt up around her shoulders and was gentled into sleep by the memories of another woman’s hands on her body, under a starlit sky, millions of years in the past.


End file.
